Go and Do Likewise

Luke 10:25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This expert knew the law backward and forward. He studied under the great rabbis. “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” He knew what the Law required him to do. He even knew what the Law didn’t require him to do.

 “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

 “And who is my neighbor?” He said this because he wanted to make sure he was in the clear. Sure, he thought he’d loved his neighbor. Who’s included? Is it just my close circle? He could do that.

 So, Jesus tells this parable. A man travels from Jerusalem to Jericho. He’s alone. Maybe that isn’t the best idea. He should have taken more precaution. And before you know it, robbers ambush him. They steal his clothes. They beat him. They leave him bleeding on the side of the road. If he doesn’t get help soon, he’ll die.

 But help is on the way. A priest is walking down the same road. He’s a good person. He offers sacrifices at temple. He prays for the people. He will surely help this dying man.

 He doesn’t. He passes by on the other side of the road. How could he look at this man and leave him for dead? He must have had some errand that was too urgent. Maybe he didn’t want to make himself unclean by touching a dead body. Then he would have to stop working as a priest for a time. He wouldn’t be able to help others if he helped this man. Maybe he thought there really wasn’t anything he could do.

 No matter. Help is on the way. A Levite is walking down the same road. He’s a good person. He assists the priests at temple. He makes sure everything is set up just the way it needs to be.  He will surely help this dying man.

 He doesn’t. He passes by on the other side of the road. How could he look at this man and leave him for dead? He must have had someone waiting for him at his destination. He couldn’t make them wait any longer. Maybe it was because he didn’t really know what the man had done to be dying on the side of the road. Maybe this was God's will for the dying man.

 Another person is coming down the road. Maybe he’ll help. No, never mind. He’s a Samaritan. You wouldn’t expect a Samaritan to help a Jew, would you? After all, they weren’t really good people. They didn’t worship God at the temple. They even had some of their own beliefs they added to God's Word. Jews didn’t like Samaritans, and Samaritans didn’t like Jews. If the priest and the Levite wouldn’t, the Samaritan surely won’t help this dying man.

 He does. He takes pity on the man dying from his wounds. He gets down from his donkey and goes to the dying man. Luckily, he is carrying oil and wine with him. He cleanses the man’s wounds with wine and soothes them with oil. He stops the bleeding with bandages. The half-unconscious man can’t even say, “Thank you.” And yet, the Samaritan puts him on his own donkey and brings him to an inn. He takes care of the man overnight, doing everything to keep him alive.

 The Samaritan has to continue on the next day. He can’t keep caring for the man himself. But has his concern faded? Has he put in his time, and now it’s someone else’s problem? Not at all. He gives two coins worth a little more than $230 to the innkeeper and says, “‘Look after him, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” $230 will get you three nights at the Cottonwood Suites down the road, but this man is going to need longer to recover. No problem. The Samaritan will pay the bill.

 That’s where Jesus leaves the parable. He asks the expert, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

 The answer? “The one who had mercy on him.”

 Jesus replies, “Go and do likewise.”

 Why does Jesus tell this parable? The expert in the Law asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Why didn’t Jesus just answer, “You can’t do anything. Just trust in me. I am the Messiah who’s come to save the world from death and give eternal life for free!” Instead, it seems like he’s giving the man a step-by-step guide to walk his own way to heaven.

 This expert in the Law was hoping for that. He wanted to justify himself. But listening to Jesus’ parable, he would have first identified with the priest, then the Levite, the men who didn’t help. He wouldn’t have identified with the Samaritan. Who wants to be a Samaritan? But in the parable, the Samaritan, not the experts in the Law, is the good neighbor.

 Jesus told this parable so the man would see he hadn’t loved “his neighbor as himself.” To see that when it came to the second of God's greatest commandments, he came up short. And by failing to keep the second, he also failed to keep the first. He failed to love God with his whole heart, soul, strength, and mind because he didn’t love his neighbor as himself. After all, God gave both commands. Maybe at first he went away with the conviction to love his neighbor. But at the first missed opportunity to “do likewise,” Jesus’ words would ring in his ears. “You are the priest. You are the Levite.”

 Maybe you’ve heard this story so many times it’s only natural you identify with the Samaritan. Who wants to be the priest or the Levite? They’re the villains of this story. They sin just as badly as the robbers. They, too, leave the man for dead. And yet, when the opportunity comes to “do likewise” how many times do we miss? Because we had an errand to run. Because it might keep us from work. Because it might be uncomfortable or inconvenient. Because we wouldn’t get anything out of it. Because maybe it’s God's will for them. Because it’s their own fault they got into this mess. “You are the priest. You are the Levite.”

 What, then, can we do? Jesus said, “Do this and you will live.” If we have not done this, our fate is the same as the person we left for dead. Our guilt is the same as the one who attacked them. Jesus has taken the long way around, but he has made it clear, “You can’t do anything. Just trust in me. I am the Messiah who’s come to save the world from death and give eternal life for free!” Jesus finds us in the same state as the man attacked by robbers. He bandages our guilt-inflicted wounds. He does not pass by. He saves us from certain death. He gives us eternal life.

 How much easier it is to “love your neighbor as yourself” when your eternal life doesn’t depend on your obedience! You already have it! Jesus has taken the heavy yoke of worldly care off your shoulders and placed his easy yoke of rest on you.* Rest from the urgency of errands. Rest from the impossible demands of work. Rest from always seeking comfort and convenience because you already have peace in Jesus. With the eternal life he gives you, Jesus removes every barrier, every excuse, that would keep you from loving your neighbor, loving everyone, as yourself. Return again and again to rest in Jesus’ forgiveness. Then, “go and do likewise.”